Studio 6 Amplifier

Same amplifier used by George Lucas, Sony, Pixar, Disney and other studios.

Think about it, the guys who make Star Wars and who developed the THX standard use THIS amp, and they have used this same model for many years. The only difference between this version and the more expensive version the Studios get is they get little DIP switches to attenuate channels. For the home version, we just put a blank plate over that section. If you want the DIP switches so you can have EXACTLY what the studios use, we can put those on as an option.

I am using one of these amps in my own home theater system with terrific results. This is a great sounding and very powerful amp. I just run 5.1 in my system since that is all that is on most movies anyway. If you need more than 6 channels, you can buy two amps. If you just need 5 channels, just keep one as a spare. Also, you can bridge any two channels next to each other very easily so you could get two amps, bridge 2 channels for Front Left, Front Right, and Front Center and have 6 more channels available for surround up to a total of 9.1 surround which is just becoming available on some processors. We can also get you a version of this amp with 2 channels, so you can buy a 6 channel one and a 2 channel one. Contact us for more info on that option. It does raise your total cost per channel considerably since the 2 channel one only costs a little less than 6 channels.

I use this amplifier with a Lexicon MC-12 Balanced processor with Lexicon's Room EQ feature. I used to have a Theta Casablanca before I got the MC-12 and I have tried out other Theta's, most of the Krell processors, the Rotels, Arcam, and many others. None have come close to what the Lexicon MC-12B with Room EQ can do for me. When I first set it up and EQ'ed the room with the Lexicon 4 mic kit, it blew my mind. I could have spent $20,000 on new speakers and not gotten nearly the performance upgrade I got from Lexicon's room equalization. Over the last few years, I have played with a lot of combinations of power amplifiers and home theater processors. What I have found to be the ultimate combination in terms of performance and value is a Lexicon MC-12 Balanced with EQ (either the V5 version that has been discontinued now, or the current HD version with HDMI) and this power amplifier. It's a rock solid combination. Connected with Verastarr Silver Reference XLR's, it just sounds phenomenal with all the speakers I have tested the amp with, and it's an unbeatable value. By saving so much on the power amp, that's letting me afford more in my speakers and processors than I otherwise could. We've had several customers buy these amps to use with their Lexicon processors, and some of them are more conscious of the LOOK of their racks than I am, so they asked us to develop a version of this that would be a better visual match for the Lexicons, since they are already a great sonic match, so we've done that and we have a new faceplate design available below that can be put on one version of this amp to better match the Lexicon look.

With the optional front DIP switches, the studios pay $5,000 for these. The regular retail price of the version without DIP switches is $4,200. Due to an overrun on a recent studio order, High End Zone is having a special on them right now for $2,800 for brand new full warranty units direct from the factory. This is a special price for a limited time only, the price will soon go up. But even at $4,200 this amp would be a great deal. Compare this amp to the Arcam P7 which has 7 channels but only puts out 150 watts per channel and costs $4,900. The Arcam puts out a total of 7 X 150 = 1,050 watts total, while the Studio 6 puts out 2,400 watts total! And the Studio 6 sounds much better, I replaced an Arcam P7 with this in my system. I'm planning to write a detailed review soon. I will say that we did extensive A-B testing with my whole staff and everyone here agreed this is a much better sounding amp than the Arcam! Right now, I'm driving a $16,000 pair of Revel Ultima Studio2's with this amp plus a center channel and surrounds. While most people would use a much more expensive power amp than this oen to drive those big Revels, this amp sounds fantastic with them. I recently had the pleasure to test a $16,500 Krell Evo 402 amp with my speakers, and yes, it sounded better. But $16,500 for 2 chanels at 400 watts vs. $2,800 for 6 channels at 400 watts is a HUGE price difference too!

Or compare the Studio 6 to the new Lexicon amps. The new Lexicon RX-7 puts out 200 watts per channel on 7 channels for a total of 1,400 watts and costs $6,000. Even the $8,000 flagship Lexicon ZX-7 amp cannot match the power of the Studio 6, it puts out 7 X 300 watts for a total of 2,100 watts. And the cost per watt is over 3 times as much as the Studio 6!

What about amps like the Earthquake, which is widely considered a great value? The Earthquake Cinenova Grand is 7 X 300 watts for a total of 2,100 watts for $6,000. That's much more power per dollar than Arcam or Lexicon give you, but even so, the Studio 6 delivers more power at less than half the price, and the Studio 6 is also a better sounding amp in my opinion.

What about the Cinepro amps? How do they compare? They give 6 channels at 450 watts, so a little bit more power per channel, but their amp costs $7,500 so the cost per watt is far more than the Studio 6.

Here's a comparison of how much you pay per watt of power, notice that the Studio 6 costs less than half as much per watt as the nearest competition shown here:

This amp is available in either 120V or 220/230/240V models so it can be used anywhere in the world.

Here are the Specifications: Six channel amplifier 400w per channel @ 8 ohms 600w per channel @ 4 ohms 750w per channel @ 2 ohms 1200w per channel bridged @ 8 ohms 1500w per channel bridged @ 4 ohms All channels driven Three independent power supplies Balanced XLR & TSR 1/4" inputs Plus RCA Adapters Bridge switches Ground lift Lo-pass filter channel 6, 80 Hz, 24dB per octave Dual temperature activated fan Selectable input sensitivity "Soft Clip" circuitry 4-rack space

Additional Features: Frequency Response: +/- 0.25dB 20Hz - 20kHz Distortion: No more than 0.1%THD or IM, 0.01W to rated output, 20Hz-20kHz (Typically 0.01%) Hum & Noise: 115dB below rated output (unweighted, 20kHz bandwidth) Input Sensitivity: 2.0VRMS for rated output (selectable) Input Connectors: 1/4 inch Phone Jack, XLR (Balanced) Plus RCA Adapters available Output Connectors: Binding posts Controls & Indicators (Front Panel) Ac mains power switch (breaker), power on LED, (Rear Panel) ground lift switch, stereo/bridge switches per each two channels, Low pass switch channel 6 Damping Factor: 500:1 @ 1kHz Slew Rate: Closed-loop response greater than 40V/us Crosstalk: -80dB Gain: 34dB Mainframe Power Supply: Toroidal transformer, 3 separate power supplies w/ 6ea 15k/uf capacitors Turn-On Delay: 3 seconds Power Requirements: AC Mains 100-240VAC, (120VAC from factory, unless otherwise indicated) 50/60Hz, 32A/16A for 2 Ohm, 20A/10A for 4 Ohm Thermal Protection: Each channels thermal sensor activates channel shutdown if an over-heating condition exists. DC Protection: DC sensor activates channel shutdown if DC condition exists. Heatsink and Cooling: 3 State fan, off-low-high two speed cooling fan utilizing heatsink extrusions, Quiescent amplifier ON condition has no fan. Fans do not engage until heavy usage conditions. Construction: 14-gauge cold-rolled steel with 3/16" heavy aluminum front panel. Dimensions: Slim line 7 inch height, 19 inch standard rack mount width, 16 1/2 inch depth overall (less handles).

The Studio 6 Amplifiers are hand built in the USA and come with a one year warranty from the factory in Northern California.
Here are some views of my Studio 6 in the pewter finish showing the inputs, outputs, cooling fans, bridging switches, etc.

They are also available in black...	...and silver.
The photo on the right shows the professional version with dip switches for channel configuration as required by the studios. We can sell you one like this, but this model is really designed for industry professionals with in house acousticians with tons of expensive calibration gear and they are not terribly useful for the average home theater user.

Here is a stack of these amplifiers in use at Industrial Light and Magic, home of the George Lucas media creation empire. They have multiple stacks like this!

In an effort to keep these affordable, we are building them just like the studios like. Overall, that is great and this design will give you more clean power per dollar than any other amplifier on the market today. But there are two features that a lot of customers do want that this amp lacks:

1) RCA type inputs. The Studio 6 has only combo XLR and 1/4" phono plugs. You can use a special set of cables or adapters to go from RCA preamp outputs to this amp if your preamp does not have XLR outputs.

2) IEC socket for a removable power cord to let you upgrade the power cord.

Verastarr had an amp, the 6.4SE, that was built using the same basic design as the Studio 6 but utilized a slightly larger chassis and features RCA inputs and an IEC socket to allow for a removable cord. The Verastarr amp costs more accordingly, but this may be worthwhile for some customers. The basic specifications for wattage and everything are the same as the Studio 6 above. The larger chassis adds room for the removable IEC power cord, the 6 RCA inputs, and it may also run slightly cooler due to the larger surface area. Verastarr has now stopped producing the 6.4SE. They will be replacing it soon with a new amp, the Studio 6.4 which will be basically the same amp as the Studio 6 and the 6.4Se but with a new faceplate. Those amps are not in production yet. We bought out the last few Verastarr 6.4 SE's and we can offer them for sale for the very special price of $3,400. They are still at the factory so we can have them configured for you just the way you want, with either of 2 faceplate options shown and described below and with either 120V or 230V power.

We have 2 cosmetically different versions of the 6.4SE amp available. Both are functionally identical and sound the same as the Studio 6, but they are taller which takes up a bit more rack space but also looks better to some people, and they add an IEC socket for a removable power cord and they also give you the option to use RCA plugs. One cosmetic option is the standard Verastarr 6.4SE with a black faceplate with a blue power LED, Green LED's for the 6 channels, and Verastarr badging in gold. At the request of a couple of my customers who wanted a closer visual match for their Lexicon MC-12's, we've developed a new faceplate option for the 6.4SE in silver with blue LED's for both the power light and all the channel indicators. The silver version with blue LED's will take a week to make and costs an extra $200, so your price is $3,600. Still a great value!

Verastarr Studio 6 and 6.4 SE amplifier pricing
Model	Finish	Voltage	Price	Options
Studio 6 Amplifier	Pewter, Black or Silver	120V	$2,800	Finish Pewter Black Silver
Studio 6 Amplifier	Pewter, Black or Silver	240V	$3,000	Finish Pewter Black Silver
Verastarr 6.4 SE	Black	120V	$3,400
Verastarr 6.4 SE	Black	240V	$3,600
Verastarr 6.4 SE	Silver w/ Blue LEDs	120V	$3,600
Verastarr 6.4 SE	Silver w/ Blue LEDs	240V	$3,800

Thanks for visiting our site and considering these exceptional amplifiers for your cinema. Please check our eBay store for more deals and don't hesitate to email Stef@HighEndZone or give me a call at 575.535.2280 with any questions you may have.

Here are several views of the Verastarr 6.4 SE amplifiers. All have the same features, including your choice of voltage and it is also available with a silver faceplate and blue LEDs a la the Lexicon MC-12 series of preamp / processors.